Last updated: May 19, 2026
Place
Wayside: Muhlenberg's Brigade
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
On the paved access path adjacent to the Muhlenberg’s Brigade parking lot and North Outer Line Drive across from the log huts.
Designation:
Valley Forge Then and Now wayside exhibit
Amenities
2 listed
Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Valley Forge State Park built replica huts between 1905 and 1950 during a project called Complete Restoration. The state park planned on adding 115 huts to provide a hands-on experience to the public. They hoped the huts would inspire visitors more than the existing stone markers. Huts popped up throughout the park, but they blurred the lines of historical accuracy. Idealistic log cabins constructed in uniform rows complimented the manicured landscape. These huts may not have been built exactly how soldiers would have constructed them, yet they sparked people’s continued interest in the history of the common experience.
“A marker is not graphic enough for the average person and he carries away only a hazy idea of Washington’s historic Encampment.”- Gilbert Jones, Valley Forge Historical Society Editor, 1938.
Huts have become the symbol of Valley Forge National Historical Park. Their open doors invite us to sit by the hearth and learn about the hardships of the Continental Army. These huts provide a small glimpse into the life of the men, women, and children in their cramped quarters during the winter of 1777-78.
Today, the National Park Service and volunteers restore and maintain these storytelling props. Around 30 reconstructed huts, including a hospital hut, a blacksmith shop, and two state park police posts remain throughout the park.